Event Coverage Craftsman brand sold to Black & Decker

Go to:
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/...-stanley-black-decker-140907321--finance.html

Nick

 

Well, Stanley said it plans to open up more tool manufacturing in the US which is good. But I have seen how down hill the Black & Decker name has gone over the years and that doesn't sound good to me.

 

The link didn't take me to this story???

 

It worked for me....

 

Thanks - sign of the financial times - Sears has been in big trouble for a long time

 

Can't make up my mind if this is good or bad. I haven't bought Craftsman in years due to poor quality so not sure it could get any worse.

--louis

 

now there will be no reason to go to Sears

 

The story said Sears will still sell Craftsman brand. You can still go there for tools.

 

This may actually improve the brand; Stanley makes hand tools (Stanley, Blackhawk, and Proto) and likely won't be putting production of Craftsman out to the lowest bidder like Sears has...

 

Stanley/Black & Decker is the parent company of Mac Tools and Proto, so acquiring Craftsman will be a good move and I believe the quality of Craftsman tools will improve, not that they are bad to begin with.

 

Yeah I am quite interested to see how the brand evolves from here too. I haven't bought Craftsman tools in years for the same reasons as everyone else.

 

This will turn out to be a good thing! Mac just made an end run around Snap-On.......................what is the name the average person thinks of in hand tools? Craftsman.

 

Don't know about the rest of their line, but can tell you the Craftsman 1/4" drive ratchets have been junk the last 5-10 years

 

Here's another story on it

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...ars-holdings-craftsman-donald-trump/96192526/

And one on store closings

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/01/05/sears-kmart-stanley-black-decker-craftsman/96191312/

 

They plan on opening a new plant in the U.S. of A to make the Craftsmans products, Yay

 

I think it is great! I'd rather have a tool company run Craftsman than a dept. store any day.

Sent from my SM-G920V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I quit buying Craftsman in the '70s after several less-than-satisfactory experiences with their 'warranty'...

 

The Ace hardware stores here sell Craftsman tools

 

Hmmm, I don't know. When Stanley bought out Mac, what some 20 years ago, I quit buying Mac. Mac quality went to sh--. Have they gotten any better? Black and Decker use to be good, not any more. Don't see a track record that tells me Stanley will "improve" the Craftsman line, they sure hadn't any other brand.

 

ba-bye Sears

 

"Lifetime Warranty", who's lifetime? My old ones from the 1980's are holding up pretty good but when a ratchet crapped out in the early 2000's the replacement was not as nice as the traded in one.

 

It's sad to see a american icon like Sears struggling. I remember when Sears was the go-to store for all most all your needs. Dad could check out the paints, tools, sports, and auto supplies. Mom could check out the clothes, appliances, kitchenware. Us kids could check out all the toys (remember the Christmas Wish Book??) They sold cars, motorcycles, homes, guns, among other things. They built the famous Sears Tower. I remember when it was called Sears & Roebuck Co. Sad

 

K-Mart basically bought out Sears in 2004, though they called it a merger. Been nothing good about them since then. Actually Sears had been going downhill for years before that as anyone old enough to remember them in their heyday will tell you.

The old Sears was essentially todays Amazon, maybe even more so as there was less competition then. They absolutely ruled the market. Amazon has a niftier way of showing their products and placing orders but still is pretty much the same thing, with no stores

Hard to beat the dreams that went with looking through the catalogue though, the same feeling went with looking through the J. C. Whitney catalogue.

As for buying tools these days you are far better off buying old used stuff. They will still be good and will also be cheaper. Most old power tools, air or electric, can be fairly easily repaired if necessary and last another lifetime.

 

For years Sears was the only real national chain department store that sold pretty much everything, so they were very popular with military or anybody who moved around a lot; no matter where you were, you could find a Sears store. Monkey Ward never got the same penetration, JC Penney tried to compete briefly in the '70s, but by the '90s they had much more competition.

 

It was announced today that a bunch of Sears and Kmart stores will be closed this year . Sigh of the times . Sad

 

I can remember when Sears was THE place to go to for tools, appliances, clothes, toys, etc. A friend of mine grew up in a 1920's four-square that was ordered from Sears. Different story these days; my son often seeks out the old USA-made Craftsman tools; the quality was a lot better. I have an early 1960's Craftsman table saw that is worlds better than most of what passes for a table saw these days.

The whole K-Mart/Sears merger didn't do either brand any good. A friend of mine ordered a new oven from Sears, and it was delivered to K-Mart. We found a dent in the side where a fork truck driver missed the pallet and tried to cover the damage with tape. Just cosmetic damage, but we spent two hours there trying to get some recourse for the damage. Three weeks later and he is STILL trying to get it resolved. Either K-Mart is going to take Sears down with it, or Sears will take K-Mart down with it. I never liked K-Mart, but I'm sorry to see Sears in such dire straits these days.

 

I went to our local Sears just before Christmas. The place was essentially empty, very few customers and fewer workers. Wandered around the tool section for about 30 minutes, no staff bothered to ask if I found what I was looking for. No surprise that this is one of the stores that is closing.

Meanwhile the Menards and Home Depot were packed.

(The local Lowes is beginning to look like the Sears store as far as customers go, but they have a lousy location, Sears has a nice spot right next to a busy Best Buy and near a Costco.)

Is Stanley / Black and Decker and American Company anymore?

 

Yeah the K Mart/ Sears merger was kinda like Packard/ Studebaker. What you want to do is tie a sinking ship to another sinking ship trying to save it!
I don't see either K Mart or Sears lasting much longer. Well known Sears has been in trouble but selling off their Craftsman line says the end is near.

 

I always thought their paint was good but that's been gone for a while.

 

I remember as a kid when I used to look at the rebuilt engines on display, and sit on the motorcycles and scooters